Our professional lives are greatly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Everyone is working remotely and they will probably continue doing so for a long time in the future. So, it’s time to prepare for better job opportunities after the COVID-19 pandemic situation.
More importantly, unemployment rates are rising, many small businesses are shutting down, and countries will have to deal with a shortage of talent as more people are putting off going to university by taking a year gap and finding the way: how to search for a job. International students studying in countries like the US, UK, Canada, and Australia are returning home, leaving universities with smaller funds.
Given these changes that are happening to the job market, what opportunities will be available after the situation subsides? And what can you do to be prepared for these opportunities?
These are important questions with deep implications on your career and professional success. There are many job opportunities like Resume Writer Jobs in US. This is why one of the best resume writers has set out to answer them. Continue reading this article as we talk about some better opportunities after the pandemic, and the most significant post-COVID job opportunities and changes.
The new job opportunities
Changes in people’s behavior will decrease the demand for some goods and services, and increase the demand for others. So there is a huge chance of developing many new job opportunities after the pandemic. Check Next Generation Careers and opportunities to know the future career prospects that suits you.
Here, I will be talking about 5 important changes that are likely to occur to the job market in different sectors, and what you can do to be prepared for them.
Medical & Pharma
More medical professionals would be needed to deal with the coronavirus as well as the aftermath of the virus. This pandemic situation and the coronavirus is not going to disappear suddenly and a large number of cases will develop each day after the situation blows over. The only difference is that there is likely going to be greater availability of testing kits and vaccines to combat the virus may have been discovered.
For this reason, professionals specializing in virology would be in higher demand.
Research
Coronavirus is also going to impact the research and academic sector as well. For example, universities and think tanks are likely going to focus on research related to the pandemic in every subject area, be it medicine or economics.
In medicine, for instance, a lot of research opportunities about new vaccines may open up, while in economics, much of the research that will be conducted may focus on the economic impact of the pandemic. You can leverage these opportunities if you are interested in research.
Freelancing
This is another crucial job opportunity that will grow in popularity after the pandemic. This is mainly because of the remote nature of freelancing, which makes the job safer than others during and after the pandemic. There are also many other benefits to freelancing- the ability to decide your work hours and workload, choose the projects you work on, and decide your pay rate. Therefore, many people are turning to gigs work as their main source of income.
Moreover, businesses are also likely to rely on freelancers- independent consultants and contractors- to get work done. This is a cheaper option for them as they aren’t required to provide other benefits (such as a healthcare package) in addition to the salary to freelancers. Hence, it’s also higher in demand, so you might want to consider it yourself.
Writing / Journalism
Media about Covid-19 is going to explode. As people try to recover from the impact of the pandemic, they will seek out information and stories about it. Hence, there will be a lot of writing opportunities, such as personal stories of people who were worst-hit by the pandemic, and articles about how to cope with loneliness and isolation during this time. This is beneficial to writers- both fiction and non-fiction writers. Even if you’re not a writer by trade, you can do this on the side to make extra money.
Journalist job opportunities will also increase as they can cover news about this pandemic, its impacts, researches, and government policies.
Coding
The importance of coding and IT skills will skyrocket after the pandemic. First of all, data analysis will become more important for companies as they would want to analyze the effect of the situation on their costs and revenue.
Moreover, many small businesses are likely to go online either because they cannot afford real estate or because fewer customers will physically visit their store as fears of the virus linger.
Companies are also likely to automate more processes as an attempt to cut costs and improve efficiency, to compensate for the losses they incurred during this time.
All of these changes mean that now, more than ever, the ability to work with intelligent machines is important. Data scientists, web developers, and programmers, in general, will be in much more demand. You can take advantage of this by upgrading your skills. Having another skill to put on your resume won’t hurt. Check this 2020 IT Skills report to know how the IT sector is changing now.
The new work environment
More remote work
There are various reasons why people would prefer working from home after the pandemic. First of all, it’s safer. The fear of contracting the virus will still be there and people would take precautions to avoid it. We’ve also grown used to working remotely- it has become our new normal and we wouldn’t want to change our routine once again.
But more importantly, people have come to realize the benefits of working from home after doing it for so long. It’s less stressful as you don’t have to suffer through traffic early in the morning. It’s more efficient as commute time is removed. It’s more comfortable as you’re not required to adhere to strict rules regarding your outfit.
Having employees work from home is also more beneficial for companies as they can save a lot of money. Electricity costs can be cut down as they don’t have to supply lights, ACs, fans, and so on in the office. New companies that are embracing the remote working culture can also avoid rent and furniture costs.
Salary cuts
This is a particularly unwelcome result of the COVID pandemic. Many companies were badly hit by the pandemic, especially small businesses. They lost much of their revenue, which they will compensate for by cutting down costs. Hence, many employees will suffer salary cuts.
For this reason, it’s important to set reasonable expectations for your salary and increments. You could also try to make money on the side, or find a higher-paying job.
Automation
If you thought automation was a threat to your job before, wait until companies adapt to the COVID situation. At a smaller level, more businesses will move online and conduct their activities digitally. For example, a greater number of meetings may happen online.
At a larger level, entire job functions may be replaced by AI. One example is the use of robots by Amazon to improve efficiency in shipping and sorting goods and counting inventory. For this reason, people who can design AI will also become more valuable.
To prepare for this, you can learn how to integrate technology into your job, either by learning to code or how to use software related to your job.
More responsibilities
As a result of job redundancy, the responsibilities of individual employees are likely to increase. There might even be an overlap between various departments, so you are required to handle tasks that you aren’t trained in. Although this is highly stressful, it’s also beneficial as your skill-set would grow.
Concluding thoughts
Embracing new opportunities, such as freelancing, and updating your resume is the key to preparing for the new job market. Maybe you like these changes, maybe you don’t. But to thrive in your profession, you will have to get used to the new work environment that will emerge as a result of the pandemic.
